58 Communication Orb (2/2)
The two hands collided in the air and he was the one forced back this time. His entire body trembled as he took a few steps back, and each step made small almost invisible cracks appear all over the podium floor. From this, one could see how much strength was added to this attack.
”I am convinced of my defeat,” the burly man gave Xue Wei a long glance as he jumped from the podium and an uproar ensued in the hall.
Xue Wei cupped his hands to the expert and was about to step off the podium when a one layer Earth Warrior jumped onto the stage.
”Your physical body is strong, but this is an exchange of pointers. I wonder if I can make you serious enough to use your martial art skills. That is, if you have any.”
There was mockery within the voice of this other youngster. Xue Wei looked at him and noticed that he was wearing clothes made from Fierce Beast silk too. It was purple with golden embroideries. His hair was half hanging, half tied up. His face could be considered handsome by some.
This young man was another noble-born son of the capital. He had consumed a fair deal of medicinal plants for him to reach the level he was at, and he had decent talent. Otherwise, it would be impossible to make it to the first layer of the Earth Warrior rank at his age.
Xue Wei frowned. He had just engaged in a sparring match, and so far no one else had fought more than one battle at a time. In fact, no one had been up on the podium more than once.
”You are not scared, are you?” He snickered, but Xue Wei just glanced at him with a bored look on his face. ”I find it unbecoming of me to hog the space on the podium when this is for all the geniuses present,” he said casually.
”Were the Crown Prince to enjoy watching me perform another exchange of pointers, then, of course, it is a different matter.”
Having said this, Xue Wei was testing the Crown Prince. Allowing for the other youngsters to bully him when he was the host would be frowned upon, but the prince was likely also very curious to see his prowess.
This was quite a dilemma to give the prince, and while the prince and some realized the point behind Xue Wei's question, others thought he was just looking for a way to escape the exchange of pointers, and their opinion on him was constantly dropping.
The Crown Prince thought for a moment, aware that no matter what he said, he would disappoint someone.
His main aim was to recruit Xue Wei, so it was obvious that he should not be disappointed. At the same time, it would also be righteous to stand up for Xue Wei since he was being bullied. However, although this was the case, the Crown Prince was aware that Xue Wei had used no energy in the previous spar and was at his peak condition. He was also eager to see just how many tricks this young man had hidden.
Sighing, he stood up. ”We have many young heroes present who have not displayed their skills just yet,” the Crown Prince said with a smile on his lips. ”To ask for young master Xue Wei to participate in another exchange of pointers when he just finished one is not the act of a gentleman.” The Crown Prince laughed. ”I understand that all of you are eager to experience the strength of this young genius, but he should be allowed time to rest as well.”
The opponent on the stage had his face turning red after being told that his actions were not gentlemanly by the prince himself, and he cupped his hands before he quickly jumped off the stage.
Xue Wei followed him down the stage, feeling rather good. He had thought that the prince would not be able to contain his curiosity and request for him to partake in one more spar, but he had taken Xue Wei's side and protected him from this bullying that the noble-born youngsters of the capital had planned for him.
Xue Wei returned to the prince's side and was surprised to find that the Crown Prince was speaking cordially with Shen Mu and Luo Zhirou.
It was clear that with the current relationship between the three, these two would succeed in forging a relationship with the Crown Prince and come under his wings.
Xue Wei could not help but praise the Crown Prince for his swift decision-making and his decision to not stop at anything to pull in Xue Wei. He was also aware that the prince operated not for his sake, but it was for the sake of his legendary uncle, Xiao Lei.
The rest of the night, no one else dared to challenge Xue Wei. It was clear that the Crown Prince was looking out for him, and thus they were aware that going against Xue Wei would be the same as going against the Crown Prince himself.
The ones who had realized that Xue Wei was hiding his power all came to talk with him. They wanted to leave a positive first impression, so they tried their best to be friendly with both him and his two friends.
Others did not even deign to give him one look. They felt that he was riding on the coattails of the rumors and in truth was a paper tiger.
Many went onto the podium to display their skills, but all the second and third layer Earth Warriors were staying down. It was clear that they did not feel a need to display their skills to be respected, as their cultivation base was already proof of their superiority.
”Luo Zhirou, Shen Mu,” The Crown Prince called out, and the two hurried towards him and bowed deeply.
He then handed them two bracelets made from braided black Primordial Beast leather. On this bracelet was a small misty white pearl.
”This is a communication orb,” the Crown Prince introduced it. ”Each person's orb has a specific aura, and if you touch two communication orbs together, they will be able to find the specific aura again, and you will be able to communicate with one another on a distance of up to ten thousand kilometers.
”They are rather rare, but all my followers have one each. I have already connected it with mine and your own communication orbs. This means you can contact me or each other whenever need be.”